richard vodden’s blog

My CD is amazing. It really is something out of this world. I have come across the combination of Trumpet and Organ in a baroque context before but never in a contemporary composition.

 The first piece, written by Czech composer Petr Eben, is called “Windows” as is a tribute to the Berlusian Artist Marc Chagall. Chagall produced a series of paintings titled The Jerusalem Windows and Eben has taken four of these images – namely Reuben, Isachar, Zebulon and Levi – and set them to music in a truly original way. He uses the full capabilites of both the organ and the trumpet employing a range of stops and mutes to create a hugely varied set of musical colours and Anthony Plog’s performance certainly does the music every justice.

 The second piece is also based on a set of paintings – this time those of Edvard Munch, the creater of works such as “The Scream”. Written by the performer, Plog’s composition is a stark contrast to that of Eben. Opening with a huge a-tonal fanfare on the trumpet force of this piece is unmistakable. The trumpet has two quite distinct roles throughout this piece, it functions as a bright clear sound overpowering the organ but also, muted, blends with the organ’s subtlety to act almost as an additional stop.

 Following these two rather avant guarde performances comes a truly sublime work from the pen of american composer Alan Hovhannes. The piece was written as an interlude to Hovhannes’ opere “Etchmiadzin” and it sticks to a more traditional tonality - almost remeniscent of Barber. The organ plays a choral style accompaniment to a flowing melody on the trumpet - a melody which couldn’t suite Plog’s clear haunting sound more. The piece has an increadible passion to it, and has invoced different emotions in every person I have played it to. If you only listen to one piece on this CD – make it be this one.

I’ve spent the last couple of days rehearsing and performing Wagner’s Götterdämmerung with the Rehearsal Orchestra. Whilst this was terribly exciting, the trumpet CD I have just bought is even more so. Its called 20^th Century Music for Trumpet and Organ and its very good indeed. It can also be downloaded from Amazon. I’ll post more about it when I’ve listened to more.

I’ve just watched a programme on BBC 4 about Body dysmorphic disorder. There have been four or five people on this programme who are absolutely gorgeous – really some of the most amazing looking people who are convinced they are ugly. They’ve been shown pictures of themselves and they burst into tears. It must be a truely horrid thing to be inflicted with. There’s a woman who has had 7 nose jobs under the same surgeon. Personally I question how a medical proffesional could be reapproached so many times without asking deeper questions :-S

One of my mates is attempting to become the first (openly) gay tory prime minister by, amongst other things, legalising prostitution. Have a read of his blog – its quite entertaining.

Its official. If anyone was in any doubt in the past, I have just confirmed that I am a bona fide, upper crust fool. I deleted my database whilst playing with an upgrade, and hadn’t backed it up for a while. D’oh. Still, I’ve not lost very much, which is fortunate, and I’ve now set up automated backups using a nice little script which runs in the small hours of the morning. Hopefully my host won’t notice, or at least won’t mind if he does notice!